Wasps director of rugby Dai Young has said his forward pack will be all-important at the Ricoh Arena on Sunday when the black-and-golds host Saracens.

Young's men sit one place and one point behind Mark McCall's men in third but are currently on a six-match Premiership winning run, including a 26-31 win over Bath last Friday.

But their opponents at The Rec were the first side to have a clear edge over what has been a much-improved Wasps' pack this season as they lost three lineouts and were frequently penalised at the scrum.

Sarries claimed a 38-19 win over a severely depleted Wasps squad in October and Young said his forwards will have to be on the top of their game to take revenge.

"Set-piece wise we have to be better," Young added, "our scrum has been better this season but we certainly went the wrong side of the referee against Bath.

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"We've got to get at least parity set-piece wise. Otherwise it becomes a vehicle for them to gain ground easily or get easy points with a kicker of Owen Farrell's quality.

"Defensively we can't leak the points that we are leaking, because then it gives you a mountain to climb in attack. And when we have the ball, we have to be patient enough to take them on.

"They don't kick as much as they used to but they still kick and their kicking is normally on the money with fantastic line chase. We have to get back into shape very quickly so we can play against it."

Despite last season's European Champions recently going on a seven-match winless run, Wasps' boss insisted they are still a team to fear.

"You don't do what they've done over the last couple of seasons and have huge weaknesses," he said, "we know what they're going to bring.

Mako Vunipola is tackled by Ashley Johnson and Marcus Garratt during the Aviva Premiership match between Saracens and Wasps (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

"We have to take the game to them. You're going to come unstuck if you try to sit back and contain Sarries. We know we have to be at our best but we're looking forward to it.

"We all know about the legendary line-speed which is still there today. But I think sometimes you have to run at it and take it on. You have to make it hard for their linespeed to be really effective.

"Hopefully we can get penetration and get them on the edge but they're a quality team. We've had a couple of good wins which has built the belief up. But we know this is a big test for us."

Although Kyle Eastmond was the only injury Wasps' suffered at Bath, the black-and-golds are still not yet at full strength. But Young is confident in the squad he will name.

"I'm a big believer in my squad and at the end of the day whoever plays has to go out and do a job," Young said.